WALTHAM, Mass., April 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In
celebration of National Small Business Week (April 29 – May 5,
2018), a new survey from Constant Contact, an Endurance
International Group (NASDAQ: EIGI) company and leader in
email marketing solutions, sheds light on how small business owners
approach and prioritize operations, marketing, strategic planning
and more.
The nationally representative survey found that small business
owners wear many hats and almost all (95 percent) do some form of
marketing for themselves. However, when it comes to marketing and
promoting their businesses, most entrepreneurs and small business
owners are self-taught (64 percent) but still don't consider
themselves very marketing savvy, making the vendors and tools they
select to support them even more important. In fact, less than half
(46 percent) consider themselves "marketing savvy" and only nine
percent say they are "extremely marketing savvy."
"Marketing is key to the success of a small business, but the
reality is that most small businesses and entrepreneurs aren't
marketing experts and have limited time and resources available to
support marketing activities," said Jonathan Kateman, general manager of Constant
Contact. "At Constant Contact, we believe technology can level the
playing field and, for the past 20 years, we have been committed to
empowering small businesses and nonprofits with the tools and real,
human support they need to succeed. From help figuring out the
right marketing strategy for their individual needs, to content
recommendations, design tips, expert-taught classes and
professional support to take their marketing to the next level, we
stand with small businesses every step of the way."
Survey Sheds Light on Small Business
Operations
Below are additional findings from the survey and insights from
author, consultant and small business expert, Pamela Slim, who has partnered with Constant
Contact to share these findings:
- Operating Year-to-Year vs. Looking Ahead: Survey
responses suggest that small business owners tend to operate on a
year-to-year basis and often need to prioritize issues of the day
and tangible, immediate business objectives over longer-term
strategic plans. In fact, most small business owners (63 percent)
plan strategically just a year (or less) in advance. Looking to the
future, small business owners most often indicated that their top
business goals for 2018 included the following:
-
- 64 percent - Increasing revenue/sales
- 53 percent - Increasing new customers
- 33 percent - Offering superior customer service
- 32 percent - Increasing productivity
"When you look at what small business owners are prioritizing in
2018, marketing is a critical component to achieving those goals,"
said Slim. "When running a business, it can be easy to become
reactive and let things like marketing activities fall by the
wayside, but it's important to remember that it doesn't have to be
all or nothing. Small, everyday steps can make a big
difference."
According to Slim, one of the best things small business owners
can do to make the most of their time and resources is to leverage
marketing tools that will enable them to more effectively
communicate with their customers or potential customers. "Small
business owners should not be afraid to try new technology," she
said. "Things like AI and automation may seem complex and
'buzzwordy,' but with the right partners it's actually very fast
and easy and a great way to make your marketing more effective
while freeing up more of your time."
- Email Tops List of Key Marketing Tools: Of the tools
included in the survey, email marketing is the most-used marketing
tool among small business owners (42 percent). Many report that it
helps them connect with new and potential customers (57 percent)
and drive brand awareness (56 percent). Companies that have more
employees (11-20) are more likely to use email marketing (61
percent vs. 42 percent of total small business owners surveyed),
and the bigger the small business, the more important they believe
it will be to their business' future. Businesses that have 11-20
employees are also more likely to think email marketing will be
important to the future of their business (69 percent vs. 51
percent of total small business owners).
-
- Other top marketing tools utilized by small business owners
include:
-
- 39 percent - Online advertising
- 39 percent - Promotions on their business' homepage
- 37 percent - Social media advertising and paid social
content
- 33 percent - Customer review collection
- Digital Marketing Takes Precedence: Many small business
owners prioritize digital marketing over more traditional
tactics. Survey results suggest that traditional marketing
tools like direct mail and print and TV advertising, once
considered table stakes for businesses, are being utilized less
often:
-
- 32 percent - Print advertising
- 26 percent - Direct mail
- 22 percent - Event sponsorships
- 6 percent - Billboard advertising
- 6 percent - TV advertising
- Hard-Working and Committed, but Not Competitive: Small
business owners are unquestionably dedicated to their craft, with
many describing themselves as "hard-working" (38 percent),
"committed" (22 percent) or "passionate" (13 percent). However,
almost no small business owners (3 percent) consider themselves
"competitive."
"This doesn't mean small business owners aren't serious about
their bottom lines, but rather that they are team players who see
themselves as part of their broader communities," says Slim. "Small
businesses are the lifeblood of our economy, and a vibrant, healthy
small business community makes for a vibrant, healthy society.
While small business owners are passionate about achieving their
goals, they understand the importance of personal relationships and
place great value on community."
- Driven by Desire for Independence and Passion,
Entrepreneurship Becomes a Way of Life: People open small
businesses for many reasons, but the biggest motivating factor is
the desire to be their own boss (46 percent), followed by wanting
to follow their passion (22 percent). For many small business
owners, their entrepreneurial passion is so strong that they own
multiple businesses. While many small business owners have only
owned one small business (60 percent), two in five (38 percent)
have owned between two to five small businesses.
Celebrating National Small Business Week
As part of the National Small Business Week Virtual Conference
hosted by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and SCORE
Association, Constant Contact will be hosting a free webinar, "Get
New and Repeat Business on Autopilot with Email Marketing." The
webinar, presented by Dave Charest,
Director of Content Marketing at Constant Contact, in partnership
with the SBA, will take place at 4:00 PM ET on May 1, 2018, and provide practical advice on
leveraging email marketing to drive sales. Constant Contact will
also be celebrating with the SBA and SBA Small Business Award
winners live in Washington, D.C.,
April 29-30, 2018 and hosting four
educational seminars at the Small Business Expo in New York City on May 3,
2018.
To learn more about Constant Contact and to access resources to
maximize email marketing efforts, from best-in-class marketing
software to step-by-step guides and best practices for planning a
campaign, creating content, harnessing data to optimize your
results and much more, visit www.constantcontact.com.
Connect with Constant Contact on Facebook,
Twitter and LinkedIn.
About the Survey
This nationally representative survey
was conducted online among 1,005 U.S. small business owners (those
owning businesses with 1-20 employees; aged 18+) and fielded
between March 15-20, 2018. The margin
of error was +/- 3.07 and a 95 percent confidence level.
About Constant Contact
Constant Contact, an Endurance
International Group company and a leader in email marketing for
more than 20 years, provides hundreds of thousands of small
businesses around the world with the online marketing tools,
resources, and personalized coaching they need to grow their
business.
About Endurance International Group
Endurance
International Group Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:EIGI) (em)Powers
millions of small businesses worldwide with products and technology
to enhance their online web presence, email marketing, mobile
business solutions, and more. The Endurance family of brands
includes: Constant Contact, Bluehost, HostGator, Domain.com and
SiteBuilder, among others. Headquartered in Burlington,
Massachusetts, Endurance employs
over 3,600 people across the United
States, Brazil, India and the Netherlands. For more information,
visit: www.endurance.com.
Endurance International Group and the compass logo are
trademarks of The Endurance International Group, Inc. Constant
Contact, the Constant Contact logo and other brand names of
Endurance International Group are trademarks of The Endurance
International Group, Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Media Contacts
Kristen
Andrews
781-418-6716
pr@constantcontact.com
Kathryn Piasta
276-732-5844
kathryn.piasta@ketchum.com
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SOURCE Constant Contact